CITY SUES OWNER OF APARTMENT COMPLEX

The city of Oceanside filed a lawsuit Thursday against the manager and owner of a Crown Heights apartment complex that officials say has been a haven for street gangs, a source of some of the crime and violence that have plagued the troubled neighborhood.

The city is seeking a court order to force the manager of the apartments at 415 Grant St. to clean up the property, install security cameras, and hire security guards to patrol the sprawling complex, which includes eight two-story apartment buildings, two laundry and storage buildings, and two parking lots.

“I don’t think this action in and of itself is going to solve all the problems, but it will help,” City Attorney John Mullen said Thursday. “This is part of a broader attempt — this is one tool to be able to remedy the situation there.”

The person who Mullen said was responsible for the apartment complex, San Clemente real estate broker Donald Swanson, said in a letter emailed to U-T San Diego on Thursday that he took over management of the property less than a year ago and has been working with city officials since then to improve the complex.

“We have been cooperative and communicative with the city throughout our involvement in the property,” Swanson said. “Despite the filing of (what) we consider to be unwarranted litigation, at taxpayers’ expense, we are committed to continue to work with the City of Oceanside to resolve its concerns with the property.”

Swanson said in the letter that he was “disappointed” he wasn’t notified before word of the lawsuit was made public.

“We have been working in conjunction with the city, code compliance, police and fire departments, and have followed many of their suggestions for recommended improvements,” Swanson said.

He also said the city could have helped improve the area “but neglected to do so.”

“For example, the streetlights in front of the property have been inoperable for some time, despite multiple requests from the community to repair them,” Swanson said.

Crown Heights has suffered from gang violence and drug activity for several years. Since March, there have been four shootings in Crown Heights, including one in which the victim died.

And on Jan. 29, 16-year-old Javier Luna was stabbed to death at the corner of Center Avenue and Division Street — a crime that police have said is probably gang-related.

The neighborhood is bounded by Mission Avenue to the north, Interstate 5 to the east, Mission Avenue to the south and Home Street to the west.

Mullen, in the lawsuit, said the Grant Street complex in the heart of Crown Heights has been “a haven for rampant criminal activity and criminal gang activity.”

The complex “has been the source of a rising and exorbitant amount of calls for service” to police, Mullen said in the lawsuit. Crimes in or around it have included murder, attempted murder, arson, robbery, vandalism and assault with a deadly weapon.

Police responded to 131 calls from the complex in 2012; 179 in 2011; 129 in 2010; and 131 in 2009, the lawsuit states.

Past and current owners and managers have been repeatedly cited for building code violations for everything from rotting stairs to missing screens and light fixtures, Mullen said.

Cleaning up the complex “would definitely be a benefit for the community,” said Carmen Amigon of Community Housing Works, which has been working with Crown Heights residents to improve the area.

Since April 2012, code enforcement officials have targeted the complex for inspections and other actions aimed at cleaning it up. Tenants complained of “substandard living conditions,” according to the lawsuit.

During a check of the complex in June, inspectors found smoke detectors that didn’t work, cockroach and mice infestation, plumbing leaks, clogged drains, faulty wiring, broken windows, and deteriorated flooring and cabinets, according to the lawsuit.

In the lawsuit, Mullen said Swanson has corrected some code violations but “has adamantly refused to undertake specific measures to reduce the rampant criminal violations occurring at the property.”

Something as simple as fixing fencing to keep people from running through the complex would help, Mullen said.

“There’s a fence that separates the property from the northern property owners, and it’s constantly broken through, allowing people to gain easy access and flee from police,” Mullen said.

City officials met with Swanson in an effort to resolve the problems, but Mullen said the city has become frustrated by the pace and extent of improvements.

“He has given us a schedule of what he was going to do to remedy the problem. We didn’t feel he was making sufficient progress,” Mullen said.

Ideally, Mullen said, filing the lawsuit will prompt Swanson to reach a settlement that’s approved by a judge.

“Once you file a lawsuit, they start taking things more serious,” Mullen said.

If the case goes to trial, Mullen said, it could take several months for a hearing.